


Delusion

by TopHat



Category: Parahumans Series - Wildbow
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-11
Updated: 2019-05-11
Packaged: 2020-03-01 00:30:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,413
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18789346
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TopHat/pseuds/TopHat





	Delusion

“Hey.” Rory’s voice was rich, hearty and vibrant in a way that made Robin think of thick blankets on autumn days and freshly-baked pies. Maybe Robin was just old, but he thought it was the sort of voice that was for radio, and that it was a damn shame that he couldn’t hear it more.

“Hey.” Robin stared resolutely at the neatly-folded clothes inside his locker, slowly buttoning up his shirt. He focused on each motion of his fingers, each slip of cloth and plastic, and ran through his breathing exercises, taking a simple comfort in the motions. A conversation. He could manage a conversation.

“So, I was wondering if you had any advice about dating.”

He couldn’t manage a conversation.

“I’m sorry, what?” Robin asked, turning to the side and slamming his locker shut.

Rory had his hands shoved deep into his coat pockets, a scarf wrapped around his neck and a blush in his cheeks. It was a nicer coat that a Protectorate employee should’ve been able to afford with a haircut to match, but Robin only had eyes for Rory’s evasive gaze. “I’m going out on a date. A first date. Today. Later today. We both agreed that it’s nothing serious, but I want to get it right anyway. Is that weird? Like, by actually thinking about it am I making it serious?” Two gloved hands came out of his pockets and started ruining the carefully-gelled peak, covering soft wool with greasy chemicals. “See, this is why I need advice. I’d talk to Ethan but I’m pretty sure he’d just laugh and tell me to rob a bank with her, Colin and Hannah scare me too much to ask, and Roger—”

“First, calm down,” Robin said, raising one arm calmingly as his own panic subsided. Funny how that worked. Other people’s problems he could get just fine, process quickly, and offer a solution two. Meanwhile whenever his own particular pile of shit resurfaced he sprinted to the gym to run until his brain was too wiped out to be of use.

Rory threw out his arms in exasperation. “I am calm!”

Robin let the slightly-enhanced shout echo off the lockers for a second with little more than a raised eyebrow. Once Rory realized the the shaking metal was because of him, he deflated quickly, shoulders slumping and eyes drooping.

“Or maybe I’m not,” he said quietly.

Robin snorted. At eighteen Rory was taller than literally everyone else on the roster bar Armsmaster, and out of costume he had at least an inch or two on Colin. Add in the build of a professional wrestler and a gravitas that came with regularly risking your life and it made it easy to forget he was still just a child in so many ways. “Walk with me.”

Once they both had a cup of coffee, Robin nodded towards Rory, sipping at his decaf. “So. First date.”

“Yeah,” he said quietly, staring into his drink. Normally Rory was a caffeine hound, but for whatever reason the bitter brew wasn’t doing it for him today. Probably the butterflies in his stomach, if Robin’s memories held true.

“You’ve been on dates before?” Robin half stated, half asked. While it was possible for the ten out of ten athletic rich boy to be romantically isolated, it’d be unlikely. Those would be with other children though, teenagers with all the fickleness that age group entailed.

Rory put his untouched mug down, a frown etched into his face. “Yeah, but not with a cape. Not with a girl who can buy drinks. What if we go to a bar and I have to order a coke? What if I get carded at the door? Do we just call it a night there? Do I try to bluff the waiter? Do I ask to share her drink?”

Robin shrugged. “I wouldn’t sweat it. Maybe she decides that she likes booze more than you. Maybe she buys you a drink. Maybe she doesn’t take you to a bar and you’re making a mountain out of a molehill.” He paused, then smirked. “Maybe she takes you to a kegger instead and when you wake up nursing a hangover the first thing you hear is your phone going off because your father wants to know why you’re on the front page of the New York Times.”

Rory snorted, smiling for a bare second, and Robin flashed his teeth at the warm and gushy heat that flooded through his chest. Nervous, hopeful, and eager. Maybe it was weird to describe a man who could knock around cars with a shout as boyish, but the boot fit. For all his muscle, for all that he spent half the day inviting Nazis and ganagbangers to take their best shot, Rory was still a kid at heart, and Robin loved it.

**Don’t you want to know what that youth tastes like? He’s just going on a date with a girl. Bisexuals exist. He might be one of them.**

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**Not the the only problem.**

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“We’re starting with coffee. Maybe some shopping. After that the evening is free. Free, and unplanned, and I have no idea how to handle it.” Rory sighed, then glanced up, briefly locking eyes with Robin. “What’s it like, dating a cape?”

Robin smirked over the rim of his own mug. “Bold of you to assume I’ve done so.”

Rory paled. “Oh. Um.”

Robin spread his arms negligently. “Don’t worry about it. Brockton’s got a lot of capes, but most of them play for the wrong side of the law. I don’t have any experience with powers in a relationship.” Roger and Colin were straight, the New Wave men would involve starting an affair, and Rory was out of his age bracket. He’d made his peace with one-night-stands, and after a while he’d gotten accustomed to the gentle sense of loneliness.

**But what if you didn’t have to? You’re a cape. He’s a cape. Rules break down when powers are involved. You broke down, then broke out. What’s one more break?**

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**No.**

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Rory groaned, pushing away from the table. “Well, thanks anyway. Sorry for wasting your time.”

“Hey.” The word climbed out the back of Robin’s throat, rebellious and impudent, charged with equal parts irritation and concern. When Rory looked back at him, guileless curiosity rolling out from thick, expressive eyebrows, Robin threw on a smile to cover up the spike of fear that ripped into his heart.

**If this doesn’t work out, we can go out for a night on the town**

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**If you’re that worried about it, maybe practice on me.**

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**If you’re free afterwards, let’s talk about how it went over drinks.**

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Robin kept the smile plastered on his face and winked at Rory. “You’re an attractive man going out to meet an attractive woman, and doing so because you’ve both expressed interest in getting to know one another better. This is how romantic comedies get made Relax. You’ll do great.”

For a long moment the silence stretched on, thick as taffy and twice as choking.

Then Rory smiled again, drying Robin’s mouth and forcing him to swallow as he was struck again by just how handsome his junior was.

“Thanks Rob,” Rory said quietly, mussed hair framing his face more perfectly than a proper cut ever could. “You’re a good friend.”

“I never said anything that wasn’t true. People just need reminding of the obvious things sometimes.” Robin broke eye contact and reached across the table for Rory’s untouched mug, sipping at the now-lukewarm coffee. “Now get. Don’t you have a date or something?”

“Shit, you’re right!”

As the footsteps petered away, Robin let his expression fall. The mug went back to the table, nearly untouched, and the hand holding it went up to rub at his stubble.

**You say you want companionship. A lover. And then you run away.**

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**I don’t know if he’s into men, and I don’t want to ask when he’s preparing for a date. A date with a peer, not someone with more than a decade on him.**

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**He’s old enough to be able to choose to risk his life. Age is a number.**

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**An important fucking number.**

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**He’s past the important point. What’s stopping you from asking?**

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“He considers me a friend,” Robin said to the empty room, standing up and taking the two ceramic cups to the sink and rinsing them both out.

The gym called, and he had a treadmill to get to.


End file.
